The Tribal Tattoo Story
by calbrodo
Summary: Scott has had a tattoo removed. But how did it get there? And how is connected to his crash on a mysterious island? Classic series. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Carlton/ITV. Characters created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson._

 _Author's Note: This story came about after a discussion on a Facebook forum about the new series:_

 _Person 1: 'You do know that Scott got married after he crash-landed on a Pacific Island, right?_

 _Person 2: 'I wonder if he got a tribal tattoo...'_

 _Me: 'There's a fanfic in that!'_

 _Be careful what you wish for._

 _So here is the story of how Scott ended up with the tattoo, and how he got a lot more than he bargained for. I wrote it with the classic series in mind, rather than the 'new' boys, purely because I'm more familiar with 'old' Scott and co. Incidentally, both Virgil and I thought this would be a much lighter story than it turned out, but it seems Scott's a pretty responsible guy..._

* * *

Scott Tracy eased himself down onto the bed, wincing as he did so. 'Geez, Virg,' he said, 'never have one of these things removed. Sure as heck hurts.'

His younger brother sat down in a chair opposite and gave him a mocking smile. 'Not as much as it hurts to get one, I'll bet,' he replied.

'Yeah, but I don't remember that part!' Scott said, rubbing his chest near his left arm.

Virgil grinned at him. 'Well, you know what they say, Scott,' he said. 'It's not a proper tattoo unless you can't remember how it got there!'

Scott rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, thanks, Virg,' he replied, sarcastically.

Virgil sat back in the chair, crossed his legs lazily, and grinned. Scott gave him a death stare, but Virgil was immune to it. His grin didn't move. Oh great, Scott thought. He's gonna milk this for all it's worth.

'At least it has an interesting story to it,' Virgil said. He waited for a response, but received only another glare. Then, with genuine curiosity, he leaned forward. 'Say, Scott,' he said, 'you never did tell me the full story of how you got it…'

Scott shrugged and looked uncomfortable. 'I don't remember that much of it. It's not that interesting anyway.'

Virgil raised an eyebrow at him. 'You mean, you don't want to tell me, right?' he asked. Scott's silence was all the answer he needed. 'Well, just remember who helped you get to the tattoo removal place, not to mention who helped you out after your crash in the first place.'

He lowered his voice. 'Of course, I _might_ let slip over dinner later what we really got up to on the mainland…'

'Oh, for Pete's sake, Virg,' said Scott, tiredly. 'I already agreed to do all your maintenance on Thunderbird 2 for the next month. Isn't that enough?'

'Nuh-uh,' said Virgil, shaking his head. 'I want the full story. And seeing as how I got you off that island, I think I've earned it.'

Scott sighed. He really, really didn't want to discuss what had happened. But if he knew his brother, he wouldn't let it drop till he'd heard the whole tale. 'All right, you win,' he said, resigned. 'Well, I guess you know that it started with that crash-landing on that island in the Pacific…'

'After that fire in Tokyo,' Virgil interrupted.

'After the fire in Tokyo, and…'

'Just like when you crashed in the desert,' Virgil added.

Scott gave a wry smile. 'Yeah, I better ask Dad not to send me out to any more Japanese fires if he can help it,' he replied. 'Anyway, like I say, I was on my way home from the fire, when something went wrong with Thunderbird 1. One minute, she was flying like normal, sweet as a dream, and the next, all the instrumentation was going haywire. That's when I tried to call Dad, and when I couldn't get through to base, I called John. But the radio was going, too. I just about gave John some coordinates, but like I say, no instrumentation meant I was just guessing. Then John's voice disappeared.

'And then the nose started to drop.

'I tried pulling her up, hard as I could. I could hear Dad's voice in my ears from the last time, saying 'Nose up, Scott! Nose up!' But she just wouldn't respond. And I had no idea where I was headed, or whether I was gonna hit land or sea. I tried to slow the descent and glide for a bit, to lessen the impact, but nothing was responding. So I just braced myself and held on tight. After that, I don't remember anything. I guess I musta blacked out from the impact.

'I didn't come round properly for what felt like an age. I have no idea how long I was out for, Virg. I don't even know whether I dreamt half of what happened, or whether it was real… I remember a woman standing over me, and I remember some chanting, and then I think I remember some pain in my arm, although maybe I dreamt that part.

'And then I came round properly. I tried to sit up. I had no idea where I was. Next thing I know, something moved beside me. I turned round to see what it was. And that's when I found out I'd been sleeping next to a naked woman!'

'No, no, no!' Virgil cried, sitting forward. 'I don't want to hear your latest fantasy, Scott! I want to hear the real story of that tattoo!'

'And I'm trying to tell it to you, Virgil, but you keep interrupting!' cried Scott, a frown on his face. 'Sheesh!'

Virgil sat back in his chair. 'OK,' he said, unconvinced. 'Carry on, Casanova…'

'Geez,' Scott muttered. 'Anyway. So this lady sat up next to me. She looked Asian, maybe mid-20s, and she was beautiful. But I was freaking out! I had no memory of anything. All I knew was I'd crash-landed – and how the heck did I end up waking up next to someone after that?!

'She cried out in some strange language, and I kept backing away. I pulled the sheet around me to preserve my dignity –

'You were _naked_?' Virgil said.

'Sure was, as the day I was born. She sat up, holding the sheet to her, and she kept shouting at me. So I kept backing away, and shouting, "I don't understand! Whatever you're telling me, I don't understand!" And she stopped panicking, and she said to me, "It's OK, I speak English! There is no need to panic!" So I said, "Listen, lady, I don't know where I am, and I don't know who you are, and I need to get back to my ship and my buddies, OK? They're gonna wonder where I am and I need to tell them I'm OK! So please, let me go!"

'And did she?' Virgil asked, leaning forward.

'No!' Scott replied. 'She started moving towards me, and then she said, "I think you don't understand," and I said, "I sure don't understand! I don't know what's going on here – I don't remember a thing! All I know is that I need to leave, right now!"

'Anyway, I was looking at her, wondering what the heck she was trying to pull, and that's when she dropped the bombshell,' Scott continued. Then he paused. 'And this is the bit that I am absolutely swearing you to secrecy on, because if any of the other fellas find out about this, and if a single word of this gets to Dad, then so help me God, Virgil, I _will_ kill you. Understand?'

Virgil was used to Scott's threats. He'd had him as an older brother for the best part of thirty years. But he'd never seen him this agitated before.

'Sure thing, Scott,' he replied. 'But what happened?'

Scott sighed. 'Uhhh… Well, then she kind of looked at me, as if she was confused. And then she said, "But I am your wife!"

'She said WHAT?!' Virgil exploded. 'You got _married_?! But surely you must remember that!'

Scott shook his head. 'Not a thing, Virgil. So of course I asked her for some proof, I mean we weren't wearing rings or anything –'

'Wait, did you consummate it?!'

'How the heck do I know, Virgil? Like I said, I don't remember a thing,' Scott replied, wearily. 'If I did, I sure as heck don't know _how_ I did it…

'Anyway, here's the part you're gonna wanna hear. I said "How can we be married? I'm not wearing a ring!" And she said, 'Your arm! You have the mark we give on wedding ceremony! Proof that you're now part of the tribe! And when I looked down at my arm, I saw…'

'The tattoo,' Virgil breathed. 'Wow.'

'Yeah,' Scott replied. He paused, and almost unconsciously rubbed the bulge under his shirt where cotton wool now covered his raw skin. 'Then she came over and put her arm round me while I was still staring at my arm, and she said, "You see? You are my husband! I belong with you now!" And I just didn't know what the heck to say, Virgil. I just…'

He trailed off, and looked straight ahead, as if staring into the distance. Virgil could hear the emotion in his brother's voice. Man, he thought, he sure has been through a heck of a time. Now I see why he didn't want to discuss it... 'Scott, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want,' he said, the teasing tone gone from his voice.

Scott shook his head. 'Nah, it's OK, Virg. Now I've started, I guess I'm gonna feel better for getting it off my chest.' He smiled weakly at his brother. 'Besides, I can't think of anyone else better to tell, seeing as you already know a pretty big part of the story!' he said, pointing to the place where the tattoo had been. 'And like you said, I owe you one for getting me off that island.'

Virgil smiled back. 'Thanks, Scott,' he said.

'No worries, Virgil,' Scott said in reply. He paused before he continued. 'When she told me, I felt really guilty. At that point, I wasn't sure if what she was saying was true or not. I didn't want to believe it. But what if I _had_ married her? That's all I could think of. I mean, I'd never set eyes on this woman before in my life. I didn't even know her name. I sure as heck didn't remember meeting her, let alone marrying her – hell, I didn't even remember getting the tattoo! But if we were married, wasn't she my responsibility? And what was I gonna do about that? Bring her to the island? Introduce her to Dad? It's not like he's keen on any of us going on dates, let alone getting married…'

He sighed, then ran a hand along his jaw. 'So all I could think of was to get her to tell me the whole story. I was thinking, y'know, seeing as I didn't remember it, that maybe I was unconscious, and I could get out of it that way. But the way she made it sound, I was awake the whole time. I figure they must have drugged me somehow. Apparently I didn't even flinch when I got the tattoo! And I know I'm pretty stoical, but I reckon I would've flinched at that.'

'But you can get out of it anyway, Scott!' Virgil protested. 'There's no way this is a legal marriage under US law. Or any law, for that matter!'

'Yeah, but that's not the point, Virgil! I married this girl! It doesn't matter that we didn't do it the way we do it back home! To her, we were married as good as if we'd got a certificate from a registry office. She thought of me as her husband – I couldn't just abandon her!'

'But Scott… you did leave her there, in the end…' Virgil said, softly.

Scott looked up, and Virgil could see the pain in his brother's eyes. 'I know, Virgil,' he said, 'I know. In the end, it felt like I didn't have a choice.' He stared down at his hands. 'I'm still beating myself up about it.'

Virgil couldn't think of anything to say in response. He watched his brother in silence as Scott stared at the floor, guilt clearly etched on his face. Virgil waited patiently until his brother was ready to continue.

'Anyway, I started asking her for the details of what happened, and I took the chance to try and work out where I was. We were lying on a bed with a wooden frame in a pretty basic looking hut. My uniform was in a corner on this chair, made of wood, that looked like someone had hand carved it. Pretty simple-looking, but sturdy. There was another chair next to it with what looked her clothes on it. There wasn't much else there, just an electric light hanging from the roof, and a lamp on a table next to the bed.

'She told me that I'd crashed out of nowhere. The whole island had come out to see, she said. Including their leader, and she made it sound like it was pretty unusual for him to show up. "His name is Belah Gaat," she said. "He lives in a great temple in the woods, and we do not often see him," she told me, and Virg, I could hear the fear in her voice. I asked her what was so scary about this guy, and she gave me a look I'll never forget. "He is an evil man," she said. "He is a master of black magic. We dare not cross him, and we must do as he asks."

And here's the kicker, Virg. She followed it up with something I wasn't expecting. "It was he who said I must marry you," she told me, "and it was he who said we must do it immediately!"'

'Woah,' said Virgil, softly.

'Yeah. And it gets weirder. I asked her how he made sure that I didn't remember the thing. She looked at me with wide, staring eyes, as if she was pleading for me to believe her. "You must understand," she said. "He has powers beyond those you can imagine. He can control people's minds and their bodies. He has eyes that can bore into your soul and make you forget. And that is what he did to you. You woke up after the crash, when we found you, and we took you to the village to make sure you weren't hurt. But you do not remember this. He made you forget. And then, when you had passed out from the black magic, he forced us to drug you so that you didn't remember anything that followed."

So I asked her if he drugged her too, but she looked at me as if she was frightened of me and of him all at once, and told me he hadn't. This guy's got them so scared, Virgil, that they'll just do what they ask, because of what he'll do to them.

'That's the point when I knew I had to save her, to take her with me if I could. I know it wasn't something I signed up for, and I know I didn't marry her in any voluntary way – and that there was no way we were legally married, like you said. But I knew I couldn't leave her there, not to live in fear of that guy.

'So I asked her her name, and she told me she was called Nethya. "Nethya, my name is Scott Tracy, and I'm gonna get you and me out of here," I told her. "But first of all, I need a radio so I can contact my buddies. Is there anything around here I can use?"

'But she shook her head. "I cannot," she said. "It would bring dishonour on the tribe. And it will bring punishment on us from Belah Gaat. Please. Please stay here with me. It is the only way we can be safe."

'I tried to explain to her that I couldn't do it, that I needed to get back to base, that there were people who needed me back there. But she clung on to me and wouldn't let me go. I was torn, Virgil. I knew if it came down to it, I'd have to pull her off me and get back to Thunderbird 1 somehow. And I had no idea where Thunderbird 1 was, or what state she was in after the crash. I didn't even know at this point why she had crashed, let alone if I was going to be able to fix her. And every time I tried to reason with Nethya, she kept shaking her head, and crying, and grabbing my arm, and telling me that I was her husband, that I needed to stay and to protect her from the men of her tribe.'

Scott paused, his face drawn. He looked as if he'd aged ten years. 'I don't know what she'd been through, Virg, but I've never seen fear like that outside of a rescue before.'

'So what happened?' Virgil asked. 'I know you made it to Thunderbird 1 alright but you were alone when I got there…'

'Ah, this is your cue to enter, Virgil,' said Scott, managing a smile, even as the haunted look still played on his face. 'As I was trying to convince her to leave, I heard your engines overhead. I gotta tell ya, fella, I've never been so glad to hear you arrive in my whole life. We were outta there! You could help me fix Thunderbird 1, and you could help me get Nethya back to base, and maybe even help explain things to Father. How did you even find out where I was?'

'It was Brains and John, really,' Virgil replied, modestly. 'I just did the flying. John worked out the flight path you were on, and from there he narrowed down the places you could be. And when Brains looked into the area, he spotted a strange fluctuation in the earth's magnetic field, centred on one island – the kind of thing that could bring down a craft the size of Thunderbird 1, unless she had shielding.'

'Kind of like an EMP, I guess,' Scott said.

'That's right. He'd built shielding against EMPs into Thunderbird 2, but said he figured you'd usually be at a high speed and altitude, so you could get out of range if anything like that hit. He really beat himself up over it, poor guy.'

'Well, it wasn't his fault. He couldn't have seen this coming.'

'Yeah, but Father tore a strip off him… Dad was really worried about you, Scott.'

Scott looked uncomfortable. 'Yeah, I know… He was really worried the last time I crashed, too. Like I say, no more fires in Tokyo!' he said, in a weak attempt at a joke. Virgil smiled at him in sympathy.

'So I heard the engines,' Scott continued, 'and I held on to Nethya. "Listen," I said, "that's my brother here to help me out. Now he's gonna fly us back to base and take us away from here, OK? If you come with me, we can help you, and I can keep you safe." But she kept trying to pull me back down onto the bed, like she was forcing me to stay there. I had no choice but to push her away so I could get dressed and get out of there.

'She sat back and looked at me, pleading with her eyes, and I knew I had to try one last time. "I'm going out there to meet my brother," I said, "and I want to take you with me. But the choice is yours, Nethya. Now are you coming, or not?" She looked at me like she couldn't decide. I felt like I was holding my breath, like the time she took to make up her mind was an age. And I just didn't know what she was gonna do.

'Then she ran to the chair and pulled on a dress. "I will come," she said, and I smiled at her. I can't tell you how relieved I felt.

'We ran outside. I could hear you hovering somewhere overhead, but we were surrounded by trees, and I couldn't see where you were – or where Thunderbird 1 was. We'd walked into a small clearing, surrounded by what looked like jungle, with about 10 huts around us and a path into the trees. "Over here", Nethya said, and I followed her, because I didn't think we had a choice.'

'Is that when I radioed you?' Virgil asked.

Scott nodded. 'Lucky for me that the communicator was working again. I don't think I've been so happy to hear your voice in my life! I think when Nethya heard you speak, that was what convinced her to come with me. You sounded so calm and in control when I was close to panic –I owe you one for that, Virgil.' His brother nodded his acknowledgement.

'We headed towards Thunderbird 1, walking through these dense trees and bushes, and the heat was stifling. Nethya seemed pretty confident that she knew where she was, and where we were going. And she seemed pretty certain you'd be able to find the crash site once we got there –'

'She was right,' Virgil interrupted. 'I flew straight there. You left a heck of a mark when you crashed!'

'Yeah, I'm still feeling it myself,' Scott grimaced, and rubbed the ribs that were still healing from the impact.

'But why wasn't Nethya there when you got to the crash site? You got there just after me, and you looked like you were run ragged, but she wasn't with you…' Virgil asked, then immediately regretted it. The haunted look returned to Scott's face, as well as something else Virgil couldn't place, like he was trying to shake off a bad memory, but couldn't escape it.

'Here's where things get really weird, Virg,' Scott replied. 'This is the part I don't understand myself. I wouldn't have believed it, if it wasn't for what happened while we were running to meet you – and for what happened afterwards.'

There was a knock at the door. 'Come in,' Scott called.

Tin-Tin stuck her head into the room. 'Dinner's ready, boys. And Scott – we've got apple pie for dessert!'

'Apple pie?' Virgil exclaimed. 'Delicious!'

Tin-Tin smiled. 'Yes, Virgil – Scott's favourite. After the crash, and after his trip to see the doctor on the mainland, Grandma and I thought he deserved a little treat.'

Scott managed a smile. Virgil avoided meeting his eye. 'Thanks, Tin-Tin. That's swell of you. Virgil and I will be along in a minute.' Tin-Tin nodded in response, and disappeared.

Scott caught his brother's eye, and Virgil saw the haunted look return to his face. 'Reconvene here after dinner, and I'll tell you the rest?' he asked.

'Let's make it my room,' Virgil replied. 'I kept a decent bottle of Scotch in there in case of an emergency. And I guess you're gonna need it…'

All Scott could do was smile gratefully at his brother as they made their way to the dining room.


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner was a tense affair, thanks to the Tracy family's attempts at dealing with Scott's latest crash. Scott had to endure both the mothering of Grandma and Tin-Tin and the mocking of his youngest brothers over his meal. Even Jeff, not usually given to showing his emotions, seemed pleased and relieved that his eldest son was back in one piece. And that just served to make Scott feel even more guilty.

Things only got worse at the end of the meal. Scott devoured his extra-large slice of apple pie with his usual gusto, to Virgil's relief. Then he tipped his younger brother the nod as soon as it was polite for them to leave. 'Uh, excuse me, Father,' he said rising, 'but Virg and I have some things we have to discuss – last couple of modifications to do after the crash.' Virgil rose at the same time and nodded in agreement.

Jeff smiled at them. 'You two have been thick as thieves since the crash!' he said. 'But I can't say I'm surprised. Go and have your confab, then. And Scott,' he called, as the latter made to go, 'I'm sure glad you're all right.'

'We all are,' Tin-Tin added, and perhaps only Virgil caught the jealous look in Alan's eyes.

'Guess that goes for us too, Scott,' said Gordon, grinning, and punched his brother playfully on the left arm.

The tattoo! Virgil gasped inwardly.

It was a mark of Scott's stoicism that he didn't cry out. But it was obvious to everyone that he was in pain. He winced even as he tried to hide it, water coming to his eyes, and Virgil could only look on anxiously. 'Thanks, Gordon,' Scott replied weakly, as Gordon's smile turned to a frown of concern.

'Scott!' cried Tin-Tin, getting up herself and going over to him, Alan standing reluctantly behind her. Grandma, too, made a move towards him. Even Jeff looked concerned.

In amongst all the kerfuffle, no one noticed Kyrano's knowing look in Scott's direction.

'I'm fine, I'm fine!' said Scott, attempting to wave them away. 'I just banged my arm in the crash, is all. It was some bruise, I can tell you!'

'Yeah,' Virgil joined in, loyally. 'Purple and horrible. You don't wanna see it, Tin-Tin,' he said, grinning at the latter.

'Oh, Scott!' was all she could manage in reply.

'And you caught me square on it, Gordon,' said Scott, his usual lopsided grin returning to his face. 'Thanks a bunch!'

Gordon looked relieved. 'Any time, Scott!' he joked, and patted him gingerly on the back.

'Right,' said Virgil, taking charge, as Scott rubbed his arm, 'we're going to go and talk about our ships – in peace, and with no more accidents. So long, fellas!' And he shepherded his brother towards his room, watched by the worried eyes of his family – and caught Kyrano's curious stare on his way.

Only when they were safely in Virgil's room with a glass of Scotch each in hand did he think it safe to question Scott about it. 'Say, Scott, did you notice something up with Kyrano at dinner?' he asked. 'He sure looked interested in your arm…'

Scott took a long sip of Scotch and cradled the glass in his hand, waiting several seconds before replying. 'Virgil, I don't know how to tell you some of this, but the story sure gets weird from hereon in,' he replied, 'and Kyrano's involved in it. I don't even know how to explain it myself. I just know that something was going on that wasn't… normal. And that tattoo may well have been part of it.'

He took another sip of Scotch, easing back into his chair, as beside him, Virgil waited patiently.

'So where was I?' Scott finally asked.

'You and Nethya were on your way to the crash site…'

'Yeah. Of course,' Scott replied, and the same drawn look came back to his features. 'That's when the weirdness starts. We were running through the jungle, fighting our way through the undergrowth. I had no idea where we were going, but by this point, I figured I could trust Nethya to lead the way. The jungle was pretty dense, but we were making good headway, and I figured we'd only take a few more minutes to reach you.'

'A few minutes?!' Virgil exclaimed. 'I was hovering for a good half hour!'

Scott ran a hand through his hair before refilling his Scotch. 'Yeah,' he replied. 'I know. See, here's the bit I can't explain. One minute we were running through the undergrowth, the next… The next, I was out cold. All I can remember was hearing this voice… and seeing these staring, yellow eyes.'

Virgil watched in concern as his brother shuddered involuntarily.

'I felt these eyes on me,' Scott continued, 'like they were trying to get me to do what they wanted, and all I knew was I had to resist. The voice was speaking to me, telling me what to do, and I think it was saying I was under his powers, and I think I was shouting, screaming 'No! No!' as loud as I could. And then I heard this other voice, from really far away, but it was a woman's voice. And eventually, I realised Nethya was shaking me awake. "Scott!" she was shouting. "Scott! You must wake up! Do not listen!' And somehow, I don't know how, she dragged me back to reality.

'I don't know how long I was out cold, but when I came to, I was soaked in a cold sweat. Nethya was standing over me, stroking my forehead, trying to bring me round.' Virgil found himself oddly affected by the idea of a strange woman behaving so intimately with his brother – even if, he reminded himself, in her mind she was his wife. 'Nethya looked seriously concerned. "It was him," she told me. "It was Belah Gaat! That is his power over people!"

'I tried to tell her that there was no way that's what it was. How could it be? He was nowhere near us! And there was no way some strange voodoo curse could be affecting me! I just fainted, and that was all.

'But Virgil… I didn't believe it even as I was saying it,' Scott admitted, his voice slightly shaky. 'How else could you explain the eyes and the voice? I don't faint easy, I'd be the first to admit that, but I passed out a couple times in Air Force training. And I don't think I've ever seen yellow eyes or heard a strange voice before, let alone felt like someone was using some kind of mind control on me. I tell ya, it was like nothing I ever experienced before. And I guess that was what made me feel she was telling the truth.

'And then she said, "He knows you're leaving! He will be coming for me and for you – and for your brother. I must stop him." That was all she said.'

Scott paused for a second and stared at his glass. 'And then, Virg,' he said, 'she kissed me and ran off. And there was nothing I could do to stop her.'

'But you could have run after her!' Virgil cried, not knowing why he was so concerned. 'You could have followed her!'

Scott raised his eyes to meet his brother's, and Virgil saw the pain in his gaze. 'Yeah, Virgil,' he replied, slowly. 'I could. And that would have meant abandoning you and Father, and leaving International Rescue without a craft and without a pilot, and Nethya with no chance of getting outta there. And besides, I was weak, and I could barely walk as it was, let alone run after her. By that point I could see Thunderbird 1 through the trees. I figured if I could get to you, then we'd have a chance of getting to Nethya, but if I ran after her, we were both lost.'

He looked his brother square in the face, and said, 'So tell me, buddy: what would you have done?'

Virgil's silence was the only reply Scott needed.

'Yeah. That's what I thought,' Scott said, and drained his glass. Virgil thought it best not to pour his brother a third glass, but Scott was already reaching for the bottle, and gave himself a large measure.

'And the problem was, Virg,' he continued, 'I had another… well, "attack", I guess you'd say. The yellow eyes appeared again, and they wiped me out real good. I felt like something was pulling me back, back to Nethya and the village and the huts… only this time, I knew it wasn't her, and I knew it wasn't right. And there was another small part of me that knew, somehow, that you and Thunderbird 1 were only a few yards away, if I could just head in the right direction…

'So I started to crawl, slowly. Every step, every inch of the journey was a battle. I made no progress, but at least I wasn't heading in the wrong direction. The eyes, the voice – they were like a pain in my head, and every step I took, the pain got worse. I don't know what it that voice was saying – I just knew it was a command, and that it was angry. Sweat was pouring off me by now – I thought I was gonna pass out for sure.

'And then, suddenly, it stopped. And that was when I managed to stumble the rest of the journey, and meet you next to Thunderbird 1, and fix her up and get going. And the rest, you know,' he finished, sipping his drink.

Virgil looked at his brother in astonishment. 'So that's why you were so keen to get out of there,' he breathed. 'I wondered… I mean, I know John said there was danger of another electro-magnetic fluctuation, and we needed to get out of there fast, but you were off even before he radioed that in.'

Scott nodded. 'Yeah,' he said, simply. 'That was it.'

'So when we checked out Thunderbird 1, and you realised she was OK, and I explained about that electro-magnetic pulse that had brought her down…'

'…There was a reason I looked that relieved,' Scott finished. 'Yeah. That was it.'

'Good thing Brains made her more crash-proof after the desert incident,' Virgil commented, struggling to think of what to say.

'Yeah. Sure was.'

There was silence for a few seconds. Virgil wondered what had happened to Nethya, but the look on Scott's face stopped him from asking. Then, almost with reluctance, Scott began again: 'There's something else I need to tell you, Virgil, and this part is probably the strangest of all.'

'I'm all ears, Scott,' Virgil replied, encouragingly.

'Ah… well, this bit's kinda close to home,' Scott said. 'You're not the only one on the island who knows about the tattoo.'

'What?!' Virgil exclaimed. 'You mean I've been keeping it a secret for nothing?!'

'No, Virg! It's not like that,' said Scott, hastily. 'Hear me out first. I was coming back from that long run I took the day after. I was worried about Nethya, but I knew Dad wouldn't let me go anywhere till he was sure I was OK, and I needed to clear my head, and…'

'And you fainted?!' Virgil interrupted.

'No! Just wait, Virgil, please. I got in from my run, and the lounge was empty. And without thinking, I took off the t-shirt I was wearing and changed into an old basketball shirt. And then I remembered about the tattoo – but it was too late. Just as I was covering it up, Kyrano walked in.'

'No!'

'Yep,' Scott said, grimly. 'You can guess how worried I was. The first thing I told him was not to say anything to Dad. I told him I was sorting it out and that no one else needed to know. But I wasn't expecting what he said next:

'"Of course, Mr Scott," he replied. "But, you see, I know what that tattoo is. It is the tattoo of a Malaysian tribe."'

Scott paused for the gasp of shock he knew was coming. 'But how?' Virgil asked, incredulous. 'How did Kyrano know about your tattoo? This story just gets weirder and weirder, Scott!'

'Oh, you haven't heard the best part yet,' said Scott, a tight, humourless smile on his face. '"You know what this is?!" I said, in about that same tone you just used. "Yes," he replied. "It is connected with marriage. It represents you joining a tribe." Then – and this is the weird part – he suddenly became really serious, and almost threatening. Virgil, I've never seen him like this before. "It is a serious business, to marry into such a tribe," he said. "Once you have joined, you will always belong. And if you try to leave… it is said that such actions will bring a curse upon you."'

Virgil sat in silence. To his mind, Scott couldn't have told a better Hallowe'en story if he'd tried. And it wasn't even October.

'And then he dropped the _other_ bombshell. He said, "Some say that these tattoos have enabled mind control of one person over another, even when the two persons are many miles apart…" Then he kind of returned to normal, thank heaven, and said, "But that is superstitious nonsense!" So I smiled at him, and breathed a sigh of relief to myself. But then he followed it up with, "Still, such tribal rites are very serious, Mr Scott. I hope you know what you are doing."

'So I did the only thing I could think of to do: I asked him how he knew so much about the tattoo.

'And that's when he rolled his sleeve up, and said, "Because I have one exactly the same."'

'You're kidding!' cried Virgil.

Scott shook his head. 'Exactly the same, Virgil, down to the last stroke. And when I asked him where he got it from, he said his brother gave it to him, when he married Tin-Tin's mom.' He sipped his drink, then said, 'And that, Virg, is when I ran to you and said I needed to get the damn tattoo removed.'

Virgil's mouth gaped, an incredulous look on his face. He sat in shock, unsure of what to say. Finally, he came out with 'Yeah. Yeah, I can see why you wanted it gone now. Wow.'

There was a pause. Virgil looked at his older brother, who was staring down at his drink again.

'Say,' he asked, 'I still wondered: why did you ask me to go with you? Why didn't you just go yourself?'

Scott gave a wry smile. 'Honest answer, Virg? I kept trying to tell myself I didn't believe in any of this stuff. But the truth is, it had really creeped me out. I didn't know what to believe at that point. And a part of me thought maybe I could get the tattoo removed and go back and find Nethya, if it would stop the fainting fits. But honestly… a part of me was really scared that I'd faint and see those eyes again during the removal process.'

'You did look like you were fainting on me in the room for a second there,' Virgil said, relief in his voice. Scott's near-faint during the laser treatment had been playing on his mind. Finally, he could talk to him about it.

Scott was similarly relieved. 'As the laser moved over my arm, I heard the voice and saw those eyes again, and that's how I knew I wasn't hallucinating. And he was _angry_ , Virgil. Whoever this guy was, he was really, really angry. And I swear to God, that process hurt way more than it should have done. It was one of the hardest things I've had to sit through.'

They sat in silence for a few minutes more. Scott emptied his glass, but made no move to fill it up. In spite of the amount he'd had, he didn't look remotely tipsy to Virgil – his story sobering him up far better than water ever could.

Virgil wanted to ask what had happened to Nethya, but couldn't bring himself to – at least, not straight away. He decided to ask Scott for a bit more information as a way in. 'So what's she like, this wife of yours?' he asked, being careful to use the present tense.

Virgil was worried Scott would take offence, but his brother merely smiled. 'Beautiful, Virgil,' he replied. 'She's beautiful. Long, dark hair… Skin a golden brown colour, almost like Gordon goes when he's really tan… And large, deep, brown eyes, like a slightly rounder almond shape. She has this beautiful smile, that really lit up her face when she realised I was gonna get her out of there, and I can't wait to see it again.' He thought for a second, then said, 'Honestly, Virgil? I don't know her that well, but I think I sure could've done a lot worse in getting a surprise bride!' And he grinned widely, looking like his normal self again.

Virgil returned the smile, briefly. Then he asked the question that was plaguing him. 'So what about Nethya, Scott? Are you going to go and find her?'

Scott's face was resolute. 'Yes, I am,' he said, nodding, and he at once became the commanding leader of their rescues. 'I owe her that much. I'm going to try and sort things out once and for all. And I'm gonna need your help, Virg. First thing tomorrow, we tell Father that the EMP modifications have been finished, and that they need testing. I guess you can back me up on that. And then I'll fly Thunderbird 1 out to that island, and see if I can find her. And then… Then I'll ask her what she wants to do.' He shrugged. 'Who knows if she's even gonna want to come back here and leave her home?'

Virgil nodded in reply. 'Agreed. But I'm coming with you.'

Scott shook his head. 'No, you're not, Virgil,' he replied. 'You better stay here on standby in case I need you. The island's not that far away from base – you'll be there in a half hour if you're already prepped to go. I don't want to scare her, and… well, I just gotta do this one myself, OK?'

And Virgil saw he had no choice but to agree.

'But how are you going to find the place again?' he asked.

'Well, the crash site should be easy enough to find, I guess. But the thing is, we were so quick to leave, that I didn't realise I left my wrist communicator behind. I'm gonna ask John if he can get a lock on it, then get him to guide me there on foot.'

It was a good plan. Virgil felt slightly reassured. But a nagging sense at the back of his mind made him worry that something would go wrong.

He didn't voice his fears to Scott. 'OK, Scott,' was all he said in reply. 'Tomorrow it is. First thing in the morning, we'll go talk to Father about those modifications, and convince him they need testing out. And I'll try and get Brains on board – without telling him about the real reason for you going, of course. But you have to promise me you'll stay in radio contact the whole time, you hear?'

'Of course, Virgil,' Scott replied with a smile. 'And thanks.'


	3. Chapter 3

'I'm not sure about this, Scott,' Jeff said, confirming what Scott already knew: his father had been seriously worried about him during the crash. 'I know Brains is sure that nothing can go wrong on Thunderbird 1 this time, but then we thought that before the last accident.' Next to the desk, Brains hung his head in shame. 'I just don't know if this is the best thing to do.'

'We need to test her out, Father,' said Virgil, stepping in. 'I trust Brains's alterations – I've checked them over pretty thoroughly myself. And besides, Scott and I have agreed that I'll stay ready in Thunderbird 2 in case anything goes wrong.'

'But what about if Scott loses radio contact again, like the last time? It's just too risky, Virgil.'

'Dad, Brains has EMP-proofed the radio, too,' Scott said in response, 'and besides, this time I'm taking the spare radio that we used on the Fireflash. At least that way I'll still have communications with John if everything goes down.'

'Yeah, and t-t-t-the n-n-new communi-c-cator designs, ah, should be i-interference proofed too, ah, M-M-M-Mr T-Tracy,' Brains added. His stutter had gotten worse after his bawling out by Jeff, Scott reckoned. Poor guy, he thought.

Jeff looked from face to face, and found himself looking at a three-person conspiracy.

'OK, OK,' he said, resignedly. 'But I'm not happy about this. Virgil, you'll head straight down to Thunderbird 2 and get her ready to leave. You'll remain on standby while Scott's away and be prepared to leave at a moment's notice. Scott, you'll take Thunderbird 1 over the island, but you'll stay in radio contact with John at all times, so far as is possible. At the very least, you'll check in with him every five minutes. Brains…' Jeff paused, not wanting to yell at his chief engineer again, but not sure how to proceed. 'Brains, you'll stay in contact with John and track Scott's progress, and you'll tell me straight away if you notice anything unusual. Understood?'

'F.A.B.,' said the three in unison.

'OK, boys. Away you go,' said Jeff, leaning back in his chair. He watched as his sons descended to their crafts in their usual manner, the nervous feeling he'd felt on Scott's disappearance returning to his stomach as the revolving wall swung his son away.

If there was a nervous feeling in Jeff's stomach, it was nothing compared to the anxiety Scott felt. For the first time, he almost had to grab the handrails as the floor extended to Thunderbird 1, the drop to the floor of her hangar feeling steeper than ever before. What if he crashed again? What if the tattoo removal hadn't worked, and he was still under the influence of the mysterious power? And worst of all… what if he was too late to find Nethya?

'Just hold on, Nethya,' he muttered, as he sent Thunderbird 1 down the ramp. 'I'm coming.'

* * *

'Thunderbird 1 calling Thunderbird 5, over.'

'Go ahead, Scott. Receiving you loud and clear.'

'John, can you confirm my location?' Scott asked. 'I'm over the island now – or at least I should be. I just want to check all the instrumentation is working fine, and I'm in the right place.'

'Looking good, Scott. What's the plan? Gonna make a sweep of the area, then head home?'

Scott breathed deeply, and gripped the controls a bit tighter. 'Not the plan, John. I'll explain everything to you once you're back off duty next week, I promise. But you're gonna have to trust me, because this time, I need to land. And then I'm gonna need a mighty big favour from you.'

John only paused for a second before replying, 'Sure thing, Scott. What do you need?'

'I need you to tell me if you can get a signal from my old communicator – the one I lost when I crashed on the island. Then I need you to direct me to it.'

'But why, Scott? Surely Brains gave you a replacement?'

'He sure did, but trust me – I need to get this one back. I'll tell you more when I get back to base.' And with that, Scott came in low over the island, and with a loud roar from the VTOL jets, lowered Thunderbird 1 gently in to land.

As the ship's legs touched down, Scott opened the viewing hatch. The scar of torn earth running along the ground into the trees ahead told him that he'd landed right next to the crash site. The sight alone was enough to make him feel slightly nauseous. He tried to tell himself that the sweat that gripped his skin and made his uniform stick close to his body was the humid jungle heat. But a part of him knew far better. Unconsciously he rubbed his left arm.

He stepped down the ladder out of the cockpit, into a scene that had been seared into his mind the past few days.

He found a beaten path through the trees, and wondered if it would lead him in the right direction. In other circumstances, he might have chanced his luck and tried it out, but there was no way he was taking chances now. He pressed a button on the communicator, and contacted Thunderbird 5. 'Which direction do I need to go, John?' he asked.

'North-north west, Scott, according to my reading.'

Scott headed in an exact north-north-westerly direction, guided by the compass in his watch. 'This way?' he asked.

'Almost. Turn right-right, five degrees.'

'Right-right, five degrees,' he repeated. 'Got it.' He adjusted his course, and found himself facing the path into the woods. 'OK, John. I think I've found a trail I can follow. Will radio in if I get into any difficulties.'

'F.A.B.,' said his brother, and ended the connection.

The path led through the dense undergrowth that he remembered. But it was nowhere near as long as it seemed in his memory. A mere fifteen minutes of sweeping away vines and clambering over dense ferns was enough to take him out into a wide clearing.

But the clearing was empty.

'Hold on a second…' Scott said aloud. He walked slowly around the clearing, sure that he recognised the place. This should have been where the huts where, where he'd woken up with Nethya. Only now, there was nothing left.

A few strides were enough to confirm his suspicions. He found the remnants of some wood planking. The grass nearby was flattened down in the shape of a large rectangle, and was a lighter green than that which surrounded it. It looked like some kind of building had stood there until very recently, and Scott was willing to wager it had been a wooden hut. But where had everything gone?

He was beginning to regret making Virgil stay back at base. Something was wrong here, and he would have given anything to have someone else by his side to talk things over with. He sighed heavily, and looked around the clearing, trying to work out which way he should go.

His wrist beeped, and John's face appeared on the screen. 'Just checking in, Scott. You stopped moving for a second there. Everything OK?'

'Uh… I ran out of path, and thought I saw something a bit suspicious,' Scott replied truthfully. 'Any chance of a bearing from here?'

'Sure thing. Go left-left, two degrees, and then it's straight ahead from there.'

Scott did as he was told. He wasn't entirely surprised to find that this brought him to another path. 'Got it,' he said. 'I'll call back if I need another bearing.' John nodded, and hung up.

This path was different. Scott could tell that immediately. The previous path had been carved out by him and Nethya as they struggled towards Thunderbird 1. But this path had been here for some time, and seen regular use. The floor was a dirt track, with the scuff marks of footsteps just visible on it, and the vegetation surrounding it had been beaten back to the sides. Every few yards, Scott came across a small mound of stones that reminded him of a wayside shrine. The clear marks of human habitation made the desertion of the clearing seem even more eerie, and a feeling of unease began to grow in his stomach. Something was wrong here. And that could only mean danger for Nethya.

He quickened his pace until he was almost jogging. Following the markers, he moved quickly through the woods until he came to a second clearing. But if the first one was completely empty, this one was not. Large piles of stones, similar to the smaller ones that had marked the path, were scattered around the edges of the clearing, leaving a large circular space in the centre. The piles were decaying, their stones covered in moss, grass growing thick around them, and some leaned heavily towards one side. These mounds seemed to mark the edge of a sacred space.

But the centre circle wasn't empty. As Scott made his way past the outer stone monuments, he found a tall heap of stones in the very centre of the clearing, with a flat stone slab propped up in front of it. And going over to it, he realised that unlike the others, this one was brand new. No moss covered it; no grass had grown around it. And the earth in front of it looked as though it had been disturbed very recently.

As Scott walked towards this new monument, the pile of stones he was trying desperately not to think of as a grave, his wrist beeped once again. 'OK, Scott!' his brother said, cheerfully. 'You're in the right spot. Your communicator should be right there in front of you!' Looking down, Scott saw that it had been placed carefully, as though deliberately, atop the stone slab. He picked it up and weighed it thoughtfully in his hand.

'Thanks John,' he said into the model attached to his wrist. 'I got it.' And he held up the old communicator for his brother to see.

'Great!' John responded. 'Guess that means everything's OK!'

But Scott was barely listening. Kneeling in front of the stone slab, he saw that an inscription had been carved on it, in an alphabet he didn't recognise. 'Yeah…' he replied vaguely, tracing the inscription with a finger.

'Something wrong, Scott?' asked his brother.

'No, nothing's wrong… I just might need you to do me another favour…'

The strange edge to his brother's voice made John bite back his sarcastic reply. 'Um, sure, Scott,' he said instead. 'What do you need?'

Scott faced his communicator towards the stone. 'Any chance you can work out what that writing says? I think it's some kind of Malaysian dialect. I'll send a photo of it up to you. It's important, John, so take as long as you need.'

John frowned. 'OK. I'll see what I can do.'

'Thanks, John,' said Scott, with a weak smile. 'I promise to fill you in on all this when you get home.'

'I'm gonna hold you to that!' John replied. 'And you're getting the drinks in, too. So long.'

Scott stared at the inscription for a minute, as though if he looked at it long enough, he might find out what secrets it held. Then he shook himself, and went to investigate the other mounds. They all looked like some kind of marker, he thought, but of what? None of the others had any kind of inscription that he could see. Nor could he work out why they were placed so far from the centre grave – if that's what it was. Feeling baffled and on edge, he walked slowly back to the centre and stood by the stone while he waited for his brother's response.

John's response, when it came, was not what Scott had expected. 'OK, Scott,' his brother said angrily. 'You wanna tell me what the hell this is all about?!'

Scott was taken aback. 'What?!'

John's eyes narrowed at his older brother. 'Before I tell you what this writing says, I think you owe me an explanation. Now what the heck is going on?'

If anyone in the family could out-stare and out-stubborn Scott, it was John. There was no point trying to pretend that nothing was up. Besides, his middle brother was the cleverest of them all, and he'd clearly worked out that something was wrong. But Scott didn't think he could face telling him the full story, not from where he was, not looking at something he feared was a grave – and a specific one at that.

Heart pounding in his chest, and a sick feeling in his stomach, Scott felt lost, as he had never felt lost before. 'I don't know, John,' he replied, his voice in danger of breaking. 'I'm trying to figure that out. I don't know the full story yet. But I promise you, John, the second you get back to base – and I'm gonna see if I can get Alan to go a few days early – I'll fill you in on everything that's gone on. But please – you have to tell me what it says on that stone.'

Scott was pleading now, in a way he never normally did. He felt more vulnerable than he had for a long time. By the change in expression on John's face, Scott knew his brother saw how he felt almost as keenly as Scott felt it himself.

'OK, Scott,' John replied, the look on Scott's face convincing him. His tone became softer. 'Uhhh… it's not good. At least, I don't think it is. It says… "The grave of Nethya, only daughter of Belah Gaat and Rani Manja, wife of… er, it says, wife of Scott Tracy…"' And John trailed off.

Scott couldn't say anything. The sick feeling that had taken over his body rooted him to the spot. All he could do was look at the gravestone and shake his head over and over. Time stopped. He felt as though he should stop breathing, stop feeling. This woman had died to save him, when it should have been him saving her.

'No,' he said under his breath. 'No.'

He stood in silence, not hearing or seeing anything beyond the writing that stood in front of him, condemning him.

Eventually he realised John was trying to talk to him. 'Scott!' his brother cried. 'Scott, please! Tell me what's wrong, and I'll try to help! What happened here? Who is this Nethya? And why on earth does that stone say she's your wife?!'

Scott shook himself, and looked down at the communicator, giving his brother a sad smile. 'I can't answer that right now, John,' he said, the pain in his heart making every work hard to say. 'I promise to tell you the rest when I see you in person. Right now I… I just need to be alone for a few minutes, OK?'

John nodded reluctantly, a perplexed, worried expression on his face. 'If I haven't heard anything, I'll be back in contact in ten minutes,' he said. 'And Scott… I'm here if you need me,' he added.

'Thanks, John,' Scott replied sincerely, and closed the connection. Immediately, he opened a new channel, and said 'Scott Tracy to Virgil Tracy, over.'

Virgil's face replaced John's. 'Any luck, Scott?' he said, but the look on Scott's face told him everything he needed to know – even before Scott's soft shake of the head.

'I'm… I'm gonna spend a couple more minutes here, looking round, OK, Virg?' Scott said, trying to keep his voice on a level. Virgil nodded in reply.

'OK then. Just keep John and Father occupied. I don't want them to worry about me, but… there's something I need to do. I'll be back in radio contact when… well, when I'm ready, I guess. Oh, and if John calls you… tell him as much as you think he needs to know.'

'OK, Scott. Will do,' Virgil replied. 'I'll have the rest of that bottle of Scotch ready for your return.'

His words said very little. But the look he gave Scott, even over the small screen, said everything Scott needed to hear. It spoke of sympathy, of brotherhood, and of fierce support. Scott nodded wordless thanks, and once more ended the connection.

He was alone. Perhaps more alone than he'd ever been in his life.

Scott looked down at the mound of stones before him and sank to his knees in front of it. 'So this is it,' he said, putting one hand onto the mound. 'This is where it ends.'

With no effort, he brought Nethya to mind – her eyes, her hair, the simple dress she'd worn, the shape of her body under the sheet. He remembered the fragrance he'd smelled on her skin when he lay next to her, and the determination on her face as they fought their way through to the crash site. In his mind's eye, he recalled her shocked face and her concern as he fainted in the jungle. And above all, he remembered her bravery – her sacrifice allowing him to leave safely, but at a terrible cost. For the first time since the incident, he found himself regretting having the tattoo removed, the one thing he'd had to remember her by.

'I failed,' he whispered to the stone. 'Nethya, I'm so sorry. I failed you.'

And silently, he took the old communicator and with his bare hands, dug a small hole in front of the mound. He put the communicator in it, and filled the earth back in on top. 'Goodbye, Nethya – my wife,' he said softly.

And Scott Tracy sank down against the stone and put his head in his hands.

From the woods, a pair of dark, almond-shaped eyes in a golden-brown face watched him silently, tears streaming down the golden-brown cheeks. 'Goodbye, Scott,' the watcher whispered, and stayed silently watching until the man stood and slowly trudged back to his craft.

As he climbed the ladder into Thunderbird 1, Scott paused. A strange sound rang in his ears, like a whisper on the breeze. It sounded like a woman's voice saying a single word:

'Goodbye.'


End file.
